This May, Boston Calling Music Festival is moving to Allston. And it’s bringing one hell of a lineup with it.
The three-day music festival, which goes down at the Harvard Athletic Complex May 26, 27, and 28, this morning announced its Spring 2017 musical lineup, and it’s a 45-band-and-artist bill that’s deeper than any in its four-year history at its former City Hall Plaza home.
For headliners, Tool, Mumford & Sons, and Chance The Rapper top the bill, but the undercard is just as impressive and varied.
Appearing over Memorial Day weekend are Bon Iver, the xx, Major Lazer, Weezer, the 1975, Sigur Ros, Solange, Cage The Elephant, Run The Jewels, Tegan And Sara, Brandi Carlisle, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Sylvan Esso, Majid Jordan, Flatbush Zombies, Wolf Parade, Mac Demarco, Mitski, Oh Wonder, Danny Brown, Frightened Rabbit, Modern Baseball, Car Seat Headrest, Russ, Francis & The Lights, Deerhoof, Pup, Whitney, Strand of Oaks, Hiss Golden Messenger, Moses Sumney, Kevin Morby of Woods, Lucy Dacus, Xylouris White, Tkay Maidza, Alexandra Savior, and Mondo Cozmo.
And that’s not even getting into the Boston representation. This year’s Boston Calling has perhaps the strongest presentation of locals, a mix of established acts and newcomers. Alt-rock luminaries Piebald and Buffalo Tom are pleasant surprises, while guitar-rock trio Vundabar, rapper Cousin Stizz, and Worcester rock band the Hotelier reflect three Massachusetts acts primed for national breakthroughs.
At the 2016 Boston Music Awards, Cousin Stizz won Hip-Hop Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, while the Hotelier took home Punk/Hardcore Artist of the Year at the BMAs. Vundabar was nominated for Rock/Indie Artist of the Year.
“Between our location and lineup, 2017 will undoubtedly be the most exciting Boston Calling yet,” says Boston Calling Events co-founder and CEO Brian Appel. “We are really in awe of the support and success the festival has seen thus far, and we are more excited than ever by the future. At the same time, we remain committed to our roots and very clear on the elements that make Boston Calling so special.”
In addition to the music, Natalie Portman will be curating a “women in film” festival experience at Harvard’s Bright-Landry Hockey Center. There will also be additional visual artistry and expanded food and concession availability. The new site has also allowed for three main stages and a massive archway entrance point.
While previous Boston Calling festivals have drawn roughly 20,000 fans each day to City Hall Plaza, organizers say this year’s festival in Allston could draw a crowd number similar to that of the Harvard-Yale football games, which comes in around 34,000 spectators. Attendees will be encouraged to take public transportation to the Harvard grounds; the closest T station is the Harvard Square stop on the MBTA Red Line.
In recent weeks, Boston Calling organizers have been meeting with the Allston Civic Association and Allston/Brighton residents to discuss neighborhood impact, traffic concerns, and other issues, and you can recap the first two of those meetings here: January 4 at the Josephine Fiorentino Community Center, and October 20 at the Honan-Allston branch of the Boston Public Library.
Individual day lineups are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks. Early bird tickets go on sale today, with three-day passes selling for $245 and three-day VIP passes priced at $499. For all ticket information and plans, click here.
Below is an artist rendering of the new site layout across the Harvard Athletic Complex, courtesy of Boston Calling…
